१८५७ का स्वातन्त्र्य समर (वीर विनायक दामोदर सावरकर - अंग्रेजों द्वारा छपने से पूर्व प्रतिबन्धित महाग्रन्थ)

THE CONFLAGRATION
Next day, having baffled the attack of the British to cap-
ture them, the Revolutionaries, with Khan Bahadur Khan
at their head, marched out of Bareilly on the 7th of May,
1858, and the English forces took possession of the eva-
cuated capital of Rohilkhand.
Disappointed on account of the safe escape of Khan
Bahadur Khan out of his clutches, but still feeling trium-
phant for the capture of Bareilly, Sir Colin was standing
in his mighty camp. Just then, there rose one deafening
cry all over the camp—the cry of "The Moulvie! The
Moulvie!! The Moulvie, again!!!"
It was an extremely surprising design that the Moulvie
was hatching there at the town of Shahjahanpur. Having
baffled Sir Colin, it was not simply to avoid a fight that
Nana Sahib and the Moulvie had left Shahjahanpur. All
the government buildings in the town had been demolished
by the order of Nana Sahib even before they left the
town. The keen-sighted leaders had rightly gussed that
the English commander would leave only a few troops in
Shahjahanpur, and would proceed to Bareilly; and they
had decided that, when he was thus away, the Moulvie
should wheel round and fall on the city, crush the English
forces there, and thus avenge the loss of Bareilly by the
sack of Shahjahanpur. This was their plan and all things
turned up as they guessed. For the British commander
did go to Bareilly, leaving only a small detachment,
though with a strong complement of artillery composed
of four field-pieces. And the English detachment had to
encamp on a plain, unprotected and open, as Nana Sahib
had already caused all fortified places to be pulled down.
On the 22nd of May, Moulvie Ahmad Shah started for
Shahjahanpur by rapid marches, while his prey was in-
dulging in false security. But, after midnight, the forces
of the Moulvie—none can say by whose foolish obstinacy
—stopped for a while within four miles of the town. This
stay made the excellent plan barren of fruits, as "native
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